Zesty Five: July 28-August 3, 2013

Despite my love of game I struggled to like pigeon at first — I think I had some disappointing Chinese versions as my introduction. Things really turned when I sampled a magical bisteeya (pigeon pie) in Marrakech. Edward’s pairing of rare pigeon with a fresh salad over on Rocket & Squash could be a way to convert some friends to this under-used bird.

Layla at Laylita’s Recipes aptly describes this as an adult version of a hot dog. It’s a lot more appealing than a bland frankfurt on fake bread. The condiments in particular draw me to dishes like this – I’ll take mine with loads of chimichurri and pickled onions, thanks!

Roast chicken may be a common and simple dish, but Shez at One Bite More has done the hard yards in this case. After many trials and tweaks Shez has produced her perfect version of this dish, and who would say no to this for Sunday dinner?

The geek in me has always wanted to make honeycomb — because it is a bit of kitchen chemistry. So this post from Joy the Baker may be just the motivation I need. I love the description of the (somewhat hairy) process of mixing the hot sugar and baking soda, which is when the magic happens!

Rhubarb and cardamom are both guaranteed to get my attention. But it was Kulsum’s story of her grandmothers morning ritual that really drew me into this Journey Kitchen post. The description is just so evocative of the heady scent of cardamom, and makes you want to fill your house with the aroma by baking the cake!